nicu Archives - Kathryn Whitaker

How Sweet 7 Is: Happy Birthday, Luke!

Master Luke is seven. Some days it feels like 77, ha! What a life it has been with him. Today, he gets his birthday letter. This one’s for you, big man. Dear Luke, Boy. You are full of energy. You’re opinionated and gregarious. Funny and smart. Wicked fast and full of adventure. You know no…

The Day the Preemie Went to Kindergarten

The preemie started kindergarten this week. He did beautifully. I, however, had a slightly rougher time. While the world sees this… I couldn’t forget this…or this… or about 8 billion other moments that led us to the kindergarten door. You see, back in September 2009 I begged God for a miracle. Like, begged. I remember…

Lessons in Prematurity

As prematurity awareness month comes to a close at the end of the week, I wanted to share one last post before the holidays hit high gear. And, if you read nothing else of this post, scroll to the bottom. Trust me. About a month ago, I reached out to several mommas and asked them lots…

HDYDI: You (or a friend) is in the NICU. What do you do?

The NICU sucks eggs. Most of my readers know that we endured a 44-day neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay with our fifth child, Luke. While we were there, so many beautiful people reached out to share their stories, their help and their prayers. It was the most humbling thing I’ve ever experienced. Hands down.…

5 Things I Wish I Would’ve Known About Post-NICU Motherhood

I’m the mom of six—teenager to newborn. No, I’m not certifiably crazy, but there are days I wonder. Two of my children were born premature. One skated home two days after delivery with zero problems, the other? Well, a 44-day NICU stay, seven surgeries, countless therapists and specialists and a very scary touch-and-go surgical case…